Landlord asked for sex instead of rent and evicted Ohio tenants who refused, feds say
The United States Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against an Ohio landlord accused of sexually harassing his female tenants for almost two decades.
Joseph Lucas owned and operated over 70 residential rental properties in the Athens County area, the lawsuit says. Between 2004 and 2023, he allegedly harassed multiple women who lived in his properties or inquired about residing in them.
Lucas is accused of making sexual advances toward female tenants and offering to reduce rent in exchange for sexual acts, according to the lawsuit filed Aug. 31 with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.
It also states he would offer to look past late payments in exchange for sex.
In or around 2012, Lucas made unwanted sexual comments and frequently showed up unannounced at the home of a female tenant, the lawsuit says.
“After commenting that her rent was late, Defendant (Lucas) said they ‘could come up with some ideas on how to pay rent,’ or words to that effect. When the tenant asked him to clarify, Defendant said words to the effect that they could ‘take it out in trade’ while looking at her in a suggestive manner. When she asked him if he meant sex, he responded ‘or whatever,’” the lawsuit says.
In 2019, a woman says Lucas entered her home unannounced and “peered into the bathroom” while she was showering. She yelled at him to get out, the lawsuit says.
A month later, Lucas offered to forgive the woman the rent she owed in exchange for sex, but she refused., the lawsuit says. A few days later, an eviction action was filed, and the woman, her partner and her newborn baby were forced to move out, the lawsuit says.
Lucas is accused of engaging in unwanted sexual contact with another woman in exchange for reduced rent from 2016 to 2022. The lawsuit says Lucas would threaten the woman with eviction if she refused or ignored his requests, or if she was seen with other men.
“No one should have to experience sexual harassment in their home or their community,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in an Aug. 31 news release from the DOJ. “The Justice Department will vigorously enforce fair housing laws to hold accountable landlords who prey on vulnerable tenants and housing applicants.”
The lawsuit says these are just a few examples of “his longstanding pattern or practice of illegal sexual harassment of multiple actual and prospective female tenants from at least 2004 to the present.”
No attorney was listed for Lucas in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit is asking a judge to award monetary damages and civil penalties against Lucas along with any “additional relief as the interest of justice may require.”
“This lawsuit sends a message that this deplorable behavior has no place in our communities and that the U.S. Attorney’s Office will vigorously enforce federal civil rights laws to stop this conduct,” U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio said in the release.
The lawsuit came after a joint investigation between the Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG), the release says.
“Every person deserves to feel safe in housing without facing the threat of being sexually harassed or abused by a landlord,” HUD Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis said in the release. “Victims should not hesitate to report such harassment and abuse to law enforcement authorities. HUD-OIG will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to hold housing providers accountable for this type of horrible conduct.”
Lucas will have to face a jury trial. A court date was not listed in the lawsuit.
Athens County is about 75 miles southeast of Columbus.
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